Todd

Todd.

State of Michigan. United States of America.

Ruins of Stalingrad.

Since I was a young child I have had an interest in the First and Second World Wars. My grandfathers, uncles and even aunts participated heavily in both of those conflicts. Because most of the photos and films that I saw pertaining to those events were not in color, to me, with the exception of the United States, the world was black and white. It was not until I made my first trip to Poland that I realized how wrong I was. As for Russia, never in a million years could I have imagined stepping foot on their soil.

My interest has evolved in to a way of life. After visiting these sacred battlefields around the world, I feel the need to emphasize how important it is that we learn from these terrible moments in history in order to not repeat them. Even more importantly I have learned how the common person around the world holds within themselves the same peaceful values as I do.

Stalingrad has been on my ‘dream list’ of places to visit for decades. It is one of the biggest battlefields in the world. For many, when they hear the words Second World War, Stalingrad is one of the first things that enters into their minds. When I tell people of my travels to tour these battlefields of the war, normally the first question asked is, “have you been to Stalingrad?” So for me Stalingrad became a mission for me to fulfill a dream; to find an untouched symbol of the Second World War, the German Stahlhelm!

For many people vacations, trips and holidays have obstacles and disappointments to overcome. Even I experience that on the journey’s I make. Little did I know that when I landed on a hot sunny and dusty afternoon at Gumrak, these next two weeks were to be the exception. With a friendly greeting and cold beer, things started off just fine.

With my main mission already in motion, I also had to learn as much as possible about this battle. There was no other way to do that than try to bring to life the black and white words and photos history has documented. Standing on the grounds and visualizing in my own mind how moments of this event existed were to give me the greatest comprehensive teaching one could wish for.

Immediately from Gumrak airfield we drove and passed through historical ground. After parking the car we walked ‘down hill’ towards the River Volga, the same direction as the German landser. The first point of interest was the loud and smokey Red Oktober (revolution) Factory. WOW! Stalingrad history in front of my eyes. Then it was to the near-by Volga before heading “uphill”, away from the river which was the direction the Red Army soldier pushed the invader back.

The next morning was to be my first full day in Stalingrad. My very educated and even more so, patient tour guide, and friend, showed me powerful places like the Grain Elevator, Tsaritsa River Gorge, Nail Factory, Univermag including its basement where Paulus located himself, and finally before days end, the River Volga. Throughout my time in Stalingrad I saw the Barrikady, Tractor Factory, Pavlov’s House, Mamaev Hill, Mareneovka, Sovietski, Kalatch, Rynok, River Don and many more interesting places. It was the simple facts that stuck out which you normally wouldn’t think about when reading books that made this experience so genuine. For example, when looking at the Flour Mill, most of the damage done to the building is on the west side. Looking at the east side of the building is a complete contrast. The east side of the building looks like a typical Detroit vacant warehouse while the west side looks like something one would visualize when they hear the word Stalingrad.

All of these sites mentioned plus many more not mentioned were to appease my appetite for the ‘things to see and do list’. But the best was still to come. One of the places that is dear to my heart now is Rossoschka. It is there that I learned and saw with my own eyes how bad things must have become during that battle. The German and Russian memorial and cemeteries are divided by the road. The number of names listed from both sides are more than one could perceive. The ages of the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country is something that is utmost respectable. This is only one place were the soldiers are laid to rest. It almost becomes an illusion when you stop and think about all the others that are buried elsewhere or are still missing somewhere below Stalingrad soil. By the end of this battle the human race suffered a major damage to the existence of life.

Some distance behind the Russian memorial at Rossoschka I took advantage of the chance to explore more in-depth how a soldier lived and struggled to stay alive. After digging in an area where a possible trench or bunker had once existed I came to realize what life must have become for these fighting individuals. Strewn everywhere were the remains of what the rations had reduced themselves to. Horse bones lay everywhere and interfered with everything. Old opened cans of food and sardines dotted the depths of the field. Some of these areas may have been trash pits or some may have been the last supper for some. China tea pots, bottles, cups and many other common day utensils were found everywhere. In order to find what I had originally set out to accomplish in this trip, I had to stay determined and hope for the best. As time moved on I would have settled for even part of a helmet.

This was my third time in Russia. I have always wanted to be the first to touch a German helmet with human hands for the first time since it had been swallowed up by Mother Nature. I’ve had the privilege to watch a helmet get dug up by another friend, but it’s not the same. I wanted to dig one up for myself. Well good things come to those who least expect it. After a typical field lunch one afternoon my “dream” came true. After working in the same area that we had been for sometime we made “contact” Like a ray of sunlight cutting its way through a cloudy sky the shape of this object was as clear and obvious as one could only wish for. After carefully digging around the first snow camouflaged helmet with the spade it was soon obvious that we were dealing with “twins.” There was another helmet settled just below the first. This one had a camouflage band and some battle damage which made it that much more unique. My trophies!!! The words given to the helmets from a highly respectable individual. I am still unable to use words to describe the energized adrenaline that rushed through my body. But in retrospect these helmets represented life. A life that I cannot imagine.

From that moment on, things continued to get better. The people I met were awesome, our homemade meals satisfying. The beer was cold and the “contact” was abundant. Our final day in the fields became one of the more interesting. Uncovered were, officer boots, gasmask canisters, plane parts, uniform parts, belt buckle with belt, y-straps, more everyday field gear and personal items. And also included in the list of finds was an amazing third helmet. WOW!!!!

So then came the time to say good bye to a place that has now become a part of my life. If I had to do it all over again, I would not change a thing. If I were to recommend a trip like this to someone, I would highly do so, but with the pure fact that they need to know that it is going to be hard to top what I was able to accomplish in the short time I was there. I am indebted to a few hard working and great people and always will be. The only reason I was able to do what I did was because of the main individual who introduced me to other great people. The combination of all these great people worked together to help me accomplish what was a “dream come true!”